Copying device

ABSTRACT

A wood-turning copying device to be used in combination with a cutting saw for duplicating the design of a wood-turning pattern which includes a frame for mounting to a table of a circular saw, a wheeled carriage capable of moving horizontally along and pivotally about a track mounted longitudinally across the frame, a finger copying assemblage mounted to the rear section of the carriage for tracing a pattern design held by two adjustable extensions extending from the frame and two opposing revolving centers mounted to the front section of the carriage for holding therebetween a wood piece in cutting contact with the cutting saw, the nature of the cut being in direct response to the tracing action of the finger assemblage.

United States Patent [72] Inventor James H. Harding Hammond, Ill.

[21] App]. No. 825,192

[22] Filed May 16, 1969 [45] Patented Jan. 19,1971

[54] COPYING DEVICE 10 Claims, 3 Drawing Figs.

FOREIGN PATENTS 255,027 l/l927 Great Britain t.

Primary ExaminerLeonidas Vlachos Attorney-Richard F. BojanowskiABSTRACT: A wood-turning copying device to be used in combination with acutting saw for duplicating the design of a wood-turning pattern whichincludes a frame for mounting to a table of a circular saw, a wheeledcarriage capable of moving horizontally along and pivotally about atrack mounted longitudinally across the frame, a finger copyingassemblage mounted to the rear section of the carriage for tracing apattern design held by two adjustable extensions extending from theframe and two opposing revolving centers mounted to the front section ofthe carriage for holding therebetween a wood piece in cutting contactwith the cutting saw, the nature of the cut being in direct response tothe tracing action of the finger assemblage .at last two metal assassincit COPYING DEVICE DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION Background This inventionrelates, generally, to a duplicating device and particularly to a devicefor use with cutting saws for duplicating the shape and design of acylindrically shaped wood turn- Heretofore, the duplication ofintricately designed cylindrically shaped wood turnings as may be foundon legs of tables, chairs, bedstands, etc., required the services of ahighly trained and skilled craftsman. The cost for such services wasusually high, as considerable time and care had to be expended toprovide an exact duplication. Attempts to shorten the working timegenerally resulted in poor quality reproductrons.

Objects Drawings FIG. 1 is a top perspective view showing the device ofthis invention mounted to a table of a circular saw.

IF IG. 2 is transverse sectional of FIG. 1 along line 2-2.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of FIG. ll.

Description Referring to the various views, and particularly to FIGS. Iand 3, the device of this invention is shown comprising, generally, afirst support member 18 having a pattern holding means 17, said member18 being mountable to a table 23 of a circular cutting saw assembly 8, aguide means 16 extending longitudinally across the front and lowermostportion of sup port member 18, a second support member 29 carrying atree ing means 2 which is capable of moving horizontally and pivctallyon guide means 16, and a rotatable wood holding means mounted to thesecond support member 29.

More specifically, first support member 18 comprises two upstanding sidewalls 4 and 6 spaced apart by two horizontal, vertically spaced parallelbars 9 and Ill) mounted to the lower rear section of side walls 4 and 6.Mounted to bottbm bar 9 are exteiidtor'wardly' for sta tionaryattachment to the top of table 23 of circular saw assembly 8 by screwsor bolts 20. Extending upwardly and forwardly from top bar 10 are twoarms 22 and 24. The forward ends of arms 22 and 24 have a pair ofspindle blocks 26 and 28 mounted inwardly to face each other for holdinga wood turning pattern 27 therebetween. The other two ends of arms 22and 24 are attached to slidable sleeves 34 and 36 surround,

ing top bar 10. This slidable feature allows the distance betweenspindle blocks 26 and 28 to be varied and thereby ac- V commodate woodturning patterns of different lengths. When the desired distance betweenthe two spindle blocks has been obtained and the wood-turning patternpositioned firmly in placebetween the spindle blocks, the sleeves arelocked in position to prevent movement by tightening locking screws 30and 32.

(as shown by the arrows and dotted lines of FIG. 1), the guide means ortrack 16 preferably has a rounded top 19 and the wheels have a concaveriding or contact surface. The guide means 16 can be held in position bymounting the bottom of the guide means to the upper face of metal strips12 by weld, buried screws or similar means (not shown).

The second support member 29 comprises generally a substantiallyrectangular frame 40 having two short side bars 42 and 44 and arelatively long forward bar 46 and rear bar 48. Mounted to and extendingdownward from each end of rear bars 48 of the rectangular frame 40 arespaced forklike extensions 51 and 52 to which are journaled wheels 13and 15.

When the device of this invention is mounted to a saw assembly by metalstrips 12, the rectangular frame 40 lies above and in a planesubstantially horizontal to the saws table top. This permits forward bar46 to be positioned directly over the rotatable circular saw 50protruding above the surface of table 23 through slot 53. Extendingdownward from the forward bar two a m 5. adtt whishm sntrs fiends! armounted near their lower ends in opposing relationship. In order that awood piece held by the centres can be rotated, centre is connected toa'shaft 62 which is joumaled in arm 53'. Sil iaf fli'ifin'iu'r'n,seamstress 'a piTley'lS ll'Th butre 'a' driven by motor 66 mounted onplate attached to rear bar 48 by belt 67. The upper end of arms 54 and56 are adapted with sleeves 68 and 70 which slidably fit around forwardbar 46. Tightening screws 72 and 74 are provided for holding sleevesfirmly in place when the desired distance between the centres isobtained and when pulley misaligned to receive With the sha a ra ge entstate 58...??14 it." an. be?! bold and rotate a piece of wood, plastic,metal or like material for duplication, By utilizing a moving; saw bladeand preferably a rotating circular saw in combination with thecontrarotating en s the material sldby the. Qa a is an .s sa lt nsmoothly. In many instances, very little additional finishing isrequired to obtain completely finished duplication.

The tracing means referred to generally by numeral 2 is mounted to theback side of rear bar 48 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The finger copyingmechanism comprises a vertical member 78 and a base member 80*. Each ofthe aforementioned members has short side walls 82 extending rearwardlyand upwardly respectively. The vertical member 78 and base member 80 arepivotably joined by pin 81 through their respective side walls to forman L configuration with the Us short leg providing the vertical member.The pivotal arrangement of members 78 and 80 permits the vertical memberto move forward or backward about pin 81 which, in turn, causes secondsupport member 29 to be raised or lowered by a responding pivotal actionof wheels 13 and 15 about track or guide means 116. The pivotal movementof the second support member. 2 .."i'. ..W9 H 71 (FIG- 3). ld. .RQPYSEQrotating centres 58 and to be likewise lowered or raised over cuttingsaw 50, thus varying the depth of the cut made by cutting saw 50.

The unattached end of base member 80 has a rotatable roller 84 attachedthereto and extending outward beyond the edge of the base member 80where it is loosely contained between spaced parallel bars 9 and 111) offirst support member 18. Mounted centrally to vertical member 78 are apair of vertically spaced ribs 86 and 88. The bottom ends of ribs 86 and88 extend outwardly and slightly downwardly from the front wall wherethey are joined to form a single rib extension 90 which extends upwardlyand rearwardly at substantially right angles to the downwardly extendingribs 86 and 88. The single rib extension 90 will be referred to fromtime to time as the tracing finger and is of sufficient length tophysically contact a pattern design held between spindle blocks 26 and28.

Pivotally mounted between the uppermost portion of the two verticallyspaced ribs 86 and 88 is rod 89 which extends rearwardly from pivotalconnection 87.

A pair of uprights 76 and 92 extend upward from base member 80 topivotally hold therebetween a closed cylindrical sleeve 55. The forwardend of sleeve 55 has an opening 93 through which rod 89 enters. Theother end of the sleeve is fitted with a rotatable threaded cap 94 toreceive the other end of rod 89 which is correspondingly threaded. Byrotating cap 94, rod 89 may be drawn forward or pushed backward which,in turn, moves vertical member 78 to which rod 89 is pivotally mounted.As previously mentioned, movement of vertical member 78 elevates orlowers rotating centres 58 and 80 attached to arms 59 and 56 of secondsupport member 29.

Since the design patterns held by spindle blocks 26 and 28 will be ofvarious thicknesses, as well as lengths, the depth of cut required forduplicating the pattern will also vary. This adjustment in cut depth canbe controlled by rotating cap 94. To facilitate rotation of cap 94, atension spring 95 is mounted to intermediate tracing finger 90 andupright 92.

With the structure just described, second support member 29 is capableof moving simultaneously both horizontally and pivotally on track 16.

The weight of the duplicating device is distributed such that the frontportion of the device (that portion forward to track 16) is slightlyheavier than the rear section. This creates a continuous force downwardtoward cutting saw 50. However, this downward force, and thus thedownward movement of rectangular frame 40, is limited initially by upperhorizontal bar which is exerting a counteracting force on roller 84attached to base member 80. This positions and holds the second supportmember in the general desired vicinity above cutting saw 50.

Although horizontal movement of tracing means 2 along track 16 can beachieved by manual action, movement can be more controlled remotely bycrank 91. Crank 91 is connected to axle 96 rotatably mounted on theoutside of side wall 4. An opening 97 in side wall 4 permits a guy wire98 to pass therethrough. One end of the wire is attached to base member80. The other end of the wire extends to the other side wall and passesthrough opening 99, where it is wound about a rotatable axle 77 mountedoutside of side wall 6. The wire is returned through opening 99, whereit is attached to base member 80. The guy wire 98 is maintained taut bytension spring 100 intermediately positioned in wire 98.

OPERATlON In operation, a pattern or a wood turning 27 (FIG. 3) isplaced in between spindle blocks 26 and 28 and locked in place byturning hand screws 30 and 32. The tracing finger 90 is held back duringplacement of the pattern by turning cap 94 clockwise. This holds andlocks the tracing finger 90 away from the pattern 87. This alsopositions the centres 58 and 60 a sufficient height above the cuttingsaw 50 to permit the insertion of a raw wood piece 71. After a woodpiece has been placed in the adjustable rotatable centres 58 and 60, thecentres are locked in place by tightening hand screws 72 and 74.Rotation ofthe centres is achieved by activating motor 66.

At this point, the saw is turned on and the cap 94 is turnedcounterclockwise to lower the tracing finger 90 until it tangentiallycontacts the pattern. With this action, the piece of raw wood 71 held bythe revolving centres is lowered in cutting contact with cutting saw 50.Cap 94 is now turned a few additional turns to ensure that the tracingfinger 90 will be in continuous contact with the pattern as the tracingfinger follows the pattern design. The tracing finger is then movedhorizontally along track 16 by turning crank 91. The longitudinalmovement moves the finger sideways along the pattern. Where the patternis high, the finger will move backward, causing the centres to beelevated. The depth and position of the cut is therefore regulated bythe forward, backward and sideways movement of the tracing finger. Withthe above operation, an exact duplication of the wood turning pattern isobtained.

Since certain obvious modifications may be made in the apparatus of thisinvention without departing from the scope of the invention, it isintended that all matters contained in the foregoing description andshown in the accompanying drawings be interpreted merely as illustrativeand that this invention be limited only by the claims which follow.

I claim:

1. A duplicating device for use in combination with a cutting sawcomprising:

a first support member;

a means for mounting said first support member to a cutting saw;

a guide means mounted longitudinally across said first support member;

a second support member capable of longitudinal and pivotal movementacross said first support member, said longitudinal movement beingdirected by said guide means;

a tracing means mounted rearwardly on said second support member forcopying a pattern design by a combination of horizontal and pivotalmovements;

a means mounted to said first support member for holding a patterndesign in a longitudinal position for copying'by said tracing means;

a rotatable means mounted forwardly on said second support for holding aworkpiece in proximate cutting relation with a cutting saw when saidfirst support member ha been mounted to a table of a cutting saw;

a means for transmitting the tracing action of said tracing means tosaid rotatable means causing said material to be cut by said cuttingmember in direct response to the horizontal and pivotal movement of saidtracing means and to thereby duplicate the design of said pattern.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein said guide means is a track and whereinsaid second support member includes wheels for horizontal and pivotalmovement on said track.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein said means for holding a pattern designcomprises a pair of spindled members extending from said first supportmember.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein said tracing means includes a verticalmember and a base member pivotally joined at their ends, said verticalmember having a finger extending upwardly and rearwardly therefrom forcontacting and tracing said pattern design.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein said tracing means includes a stopmeans mounted to the rear portion of said base member for limiting theforward pivotal movement of said second support member.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein said first support member includes apair of vertically spaced, horizontal parallel bars and said stop meanscomprises a roller journaled in the rear portion of said base member,said roller being positioned loosely between said parallel bars.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein said tracing means includes anadjustable means pivotally mounted at one end to said vertical memberfor positioning said finger extending from said pivotal forward member.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the rear portion of said adjustablemeans is pivotally mounted to an upright extending upward from said basemember.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein said rotatable means comprises a pairof longitudinally adjustable spindled members extending from said secondsupport wherein one of said spindled members has a belt pulley forreceiving rotation from a power means.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein said device is designed

1. A duplicating device for use in combination with a cutting saw comprising: a first support member; a means for mounting said first support member to a cutting saw; a guide means mounted longitudinally across said first support member; a second support member capable of longitudinal and pivotal movement across said first support member, said longitudinal movement being directed by said guide means; a tracing means mounted rearwardly on said second support member for copying a pattern design by a combination of horizontal and pivotal movements; a means mounted to said first support member for holding a pattern design in a longitudinal position for copying by said tracing means; a rotatable means mounted forwardly on said second support for holding a workpiece in proximate cutting relation with a cutting saw when said first support member has been mounted to a table of a cutting saw; a means for transmitting the tracing action of said tracing means to said rotatable means causing said material to be cut by said cutting member in direct response to the horizontal and pivotal movement of said tracing means and to thereby duplicate the design of said pattern.
 2. The device of claim 1 wherein said guide means is a track and wherein said second support member includes wheels for horizontal and pivotal movement on said track.
 3. The device of claim 2 wherein said means for holding a pattern design comprises a pair of spindled members extending from said first support member.
 4. The device of claim 3, wherein said tracing means includes a vertical member and a base member pivotally joined at their ends, said vertical member having a finger extending upwardly and rearwardly therefrom for contacting and tracing said pattern design.
 5. The device of claim 4, wherein said tracing means includes a stop means mounted to the rear portion of said base member for limiting the forward pivotal movement of said second support member.
 6. The device of claim 5, wherein said first support member includes a pair of vertically spaced, horizontal parallel bars and said stop means comprises a roller journaled in the rear portion of said base member, said roller being positioned loosely between said parallel bars.
 7. The device of claim 6, wherein said tracing means includes an adjustable means pivotally mounted at one end to said vertical member for positioning said finger extending from said pivotal forward member.
 8. The device of claim 7, wherein the rear portion of said adjustable means is pivotally mounted to an upright extending upward from said base member.
 9. The device of claim 8, wherein said rotatable means comprises a pair of longitudinally adjustable spindled members extending from said second support wherein one of said spindled members has a belt Pulley for receiving rotation from a power means.
 10. The device of claim 9, wherein said device is designed specifically for duplicating wood turnings and includes a means mounted to said first support member for remotely moving said tracing means horizontally along said guide means. 